The invention relates to a device for transporting objects along a closed transport track, comprising, as the transport track, two tubular or rod-shaped guide rails, which are arranged parallel to and substantially vertically on top of each other. At least one transport module is connected to each guide rail via at least one support roll pair, wherein the rolls of each support roll pair can be rotated about roll axes which are substantially perpendicular to a guide rail axis and include an angle of less than 180° and the rolls are seated against one of the guide rails in a detent position. The device is equipped with a drive means which is arranged so as to rotate substantially parallel to the guide rails and which can be connected to the at least one transport module.
The invention relates to a container conveyor as is frequently used in cartoners. Containers of different sizes are processed in said cartoners by said containers as a rule being shaped, filled, closed and sent on to further production equipment, for example to a palletizer. The most widely varying products from, inter alia, the food, pharmaceutical and health care industry are packaged in such machines. In so doing, different container sizes have to be transported with the container conveyor.
The European patent application EP-A-1 215 122 discloses a container conveyor consisting of two parallel toothed drive belts comprising driving dogs, between which the containers are clamped and transported. Upright cartons have to thereby be fed into the transport process via a clock pulse, which time and again leads to malfunctions. The number of containers in transport is fixed due to the regular spacing of the driving dogs, which greatly limits output particularly in the case of small container sizes. This type of conveyor can only be used for filling the containers on account of the lateral access being limited when setting the cartons upright and closing the same.
The WIPO patent application WO-A-96/07592 discloses a carton transport device for different carton sizes, comprising three parallel conveyor belts having in each case driving dogs fixed thereon. The transport device can be adjusted for different size cartons in all three dimensions. A substantial disadvantage thereto is the complex mechanical construction of this system and the costs resulting therefrom. The rigid separation of the containers according to size leads to a less flexible system having a fixed number of containers in transport which is independent of the size of the cartons. In addition, tools are required for adjusting the three conveyor belts in relation to one another. As a result, an adjustment at the beginning of the production is likewise again required, which leads to substantially longer times for the renewed start-up of production.
The container conveyor known from the WIPO patent application WO-A-2009/077250 is designed as a horizontal rotary conveyor, in which transport modules are fixed to a horizontally rotating chain. Cartons placed on said transport modules are conveyed through the plant and processed at different stations. Only a limited format range (carton sizes) can be covered by the transport modules which are fixedly mounted to the driving means. The construction is not suited to being carried out without the use of tools for the mounting and dismounting of the transport modules which is required for the frequent format changes.
A device of the kind mentioned above is disclosed in the European patent application EP-A 0 656 304. In this transport system, transport modules driven by means of a chain are mounted on two parallel guide rails. A substantial disadvantage to this system is that the transport modules cannot be easily exchanged. The transport modules placed onto the guide rails are fastened by means of a screw connection and have to be readjusted after each mounting.